N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
In re : YOUNG HUI KIM ,

De btor,

______________________________ YOUNG HUI KIM ; GLOR Y OF GOD PR ESB YTER IAN C HUR C H; PAC IFIC EAGLE R

EALTY, LLC , Appe lla nts,
v. JULIA RIIHIM AKI,

Appe lle e . No. 17-60088 B AP No. 17-1066
M EM O R ANDUM *

In re : YOUNG HUI KIM ,

De btor,

------------------------------ YOUNG HUI KIM ; GLOR Y OF GOD PR ESB YTER IAN C HUR C H; PAC IFIC EAGLE R

EALTY, LLC , No. 17-60089 B AP No. 17-1137 

# FIL ED FEB 15 2019 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public a t ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.Appe lla nts,
v. JULIA RIIHIM AKI,

Appe lle e . Appe a l from the Ninth C irc uit B ankruptc y

Appe lla te Pane l Tay lor, La ffe rty

III, and B ran d, B ankruptc y Judge s , Pre siding Subm itte d Fe brua

ry 13, 2019 * * Honolulu, Ha

wa ii B e fore : TALLM AN, B YB E E, a nd N.R . SM ITH, C irc uit Judge s. Young Hui Kim a

p pe a l s the ba

nkruptc y c ourt’ s orde rs, a ffirm e d by the B ankruptc y

Appe l late Pane l , gra

nting Julia

R iihim aki’ s m otion to e nforc e se ttle m e nt a

nd m otion for a

ttorne y s’ fe e s. W e a ffirm
. 1. W e re vie w the ba

nkruptc y c ourt’ s findings of fa c t for c l e ar e rror. In reLe e , 889 F.3d 639, 644 (9th C ir. 2018). The ba nkruptc y c ourt did not c le arly

e rr in finding tha

t Kim ra tifie d the a c c e pte d c o unte roffe r. Se e Mc Donne ll v . Pe nnington , 40 Ha w. 265, 268 (Ha

w. 1953) (ra

tific a t ion is a que stion of fa c t).

* * The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without ora l a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a )(2). 2Pursua nt to Ha wa ii R e vise d Statute s se c tion 605-7, a n attorne y m ay only
se ttle a c a se with thec lie nt’ s writte n a uthoriz at ion. Howe v e r, “ a se ttle m e nt will be tre a te d a s binding e ve n in the a bse n c e of the e xpre ss writte n c onse nt of the c lie nt whe re the c lie nt ratifie s the se ttle m e nt.” C ook v . Sure t y LifeIns., C

o. , 903 P.2d 708, 716 (Ha

w. C t . App. 1995); se e also Mc K e aguev . Fre itas , 40 Ha

w . 108, 113 (1953). “ [R ] a tific ation m ay be e xpre ss or it m ay

be im plie d . . . de pe nd[ing] on the fa c t s of e a c h pa

rtic ula r c a se . Any

fa ilure on the pa

rt of the c lie nt to obje c t to a n una uthoriz e d a c t within a

re a sona ble tim e a fte r be c om i ng a ware of it will be
c onstrue d a s a

ra tific a tion of it.” Sc ott v . Pilipo , 25 Ha w. 386, 390 (1920) (quoting 6 C orpus Juris 670 (Willia m M a c k & W i llia

m B e nja m in Ha le e ds., 1916)). The ba nkruptc y c o urt found tha

t Kim unde rstood thete rm s of the
c ounte roffe r and ora lly

a uthoriz e d he r a ttorne y

to a c c e pt it. The ba

nkruptc y c ourt
a lso found tha

t Kim m e t with he r a ttorne y on m u ltiple oc c a sions a fte r the
a c c e pta n c e and disc usse d the a c c e pte d c ounte roffe r but did not obje c t within a
re a s ona ble tim e . Te stim ony in the re c ord supports the ba nkruptc y c ourt’ s finding that , “ [g] ive n he r knowle dge of a nd a c quie sc e nc e in the ongoing se ttle m e nt disc ussions a

nd of the e fforts tha

t the attorne y s we re e xpe nding to ne gotia t e and doc um e nt the se ttle m e nt, [Kim ] wa ite d a n unre a s ona

bly long tim e to ra ise he r

3obje c tions.” Thus, the b a nkruptc y c ourt did not c le arly

e rr in finding tha

t Kim
ra tifie d the a c c e pte d c ounte roffe r. 2. The ba

nkruptc y c o urt a lso did not err whe n it de te rm ine d tha t R iihim aki wa s the p re va iling pa

rty , be c a use she won the dispute d m a in issue

— whe the r the re wa s an e n forc e a

ble se ttle m e nt. Se eIn reHoopai , 581 F.3d 1090, 1102 (9th C ir. 2009). Thus, the ba

nkruptc y c ourt did not a

b use its disc re tion in a

warding a ttorne y s’ fe e s to R iihim ak i pursua

nt to Ha wa i i R e vise d Stat

ute s se c tion 607-14. Id. at 1095. AFFIRM E D.

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